Make your own Candles for a Special Occasion

It isn’t hard to make your own candles for a special occasion. My friend Doreen got me into making candles when she decided to make all the candles for the table settings for her daughter’s wedding. The candles were going to be in wine glasses of different sizes and grouped in sets of 5 on each table – so they were going to need a lot of wine glasses! Thankfully none of them needed to match so they visited all the local (and not so local) Opportunity Shops to purchase and amass their selection.

I had used Candle Creations to purchase some of my soap making supplies previously so suggested that she get everything else she needed from them. You can purchase online and have everything delivered to your door.

You will need:

• Container Soy Wax 464
• Pyrex jug and a large saucepan; or a double boiler saucepan
• Glass candy thermometer
• Wicks
• Wick stickers
• Wick holders
• Fragrance oil

Wash and dry your wine glasses. Attach a wick sticker to the bottom of a wick holder (with a wick in it of course) then attach the sticker to the inside bottom of the wine glass. Thread the wick through the hole in the middle of the wick holder and place the wick holder so that it spans the diameter of the glass, making sure the wick is centred. Bend the wick over the wick holder so that it will hold straight as you pour in the melted wax.

Heat your soy wax in a double boiler (or Pyrex jug) on low heat to about 80-85C. Once the wax reaches this temperature, add your fragrance or essential oil in quantities of 6-10% of the volume of wax. Gently stir for at least 2 minutes to mix the fragrance through the wax.

Let the wax cool to approx 60-65C before pouring into the wine glasses. Allow the candles to set and cure for at least 24 hours and preferably several days before burning.

For more detailed instructions you can refer to the Candle Making Tutorials on the Candle Creations website.